I first became ill 9 years ago while in college and was in denial. I thought the abdominal pain and bloating were normal. I convinced myself that they would pass. I continued to ignore my body and eventually started having more severe symptoms...

On December 31st, 2017 for the first time in over three years, I went into a swimming pool with my daughter. My feelings were overwhelmed the moment I entered the pool. Like the lottery balls blowing in the vacuum chamber, synchronized emotions burst out as our smiles connected in the splashes.

At times I wish I could go back in time and talk to myself early in my diagnosis and tell her that everything will be OK, that she will be OK. If I could go back and write a letter to my newly-diagnosed self, here is what it would say:

Let’s talk bad days. Everyone has them, but when you are living with a chronic illness, sometimes a bad day equates to more than just spilling your coffee and running late for work. Pain, nausea, procedure prep, achy joints, fevers, fatigue, rashes, and other symptoms of chronic illnesses can all add up to a less-than-great day.

For three years I didn’t have any control. First I was sick, because my Crohn’s disease had come back in my detached rectum. I didn’t know how sick I was until I came home for spring break and didn’t go back to school for three weeks. Maybe I thought things were okay because I didn’t have a colon anymore; it turns out a bleeding rectum isn’t exactly great either.

A weekly column on positivity, motivation, coping with stress, and self-love with a chronic illness.

At times I wish I could go back in time and talk to myself early in my diagnosis and tell her that everything will be OK, that she will be OK. If I could go back and write a letter to my newly-diagnosed self, here is what it would say:

Let’s talk bad days. Everyone has them, but when you are living with a chronic illness, sometimes a bad day equates to more than just spilling your coffee and running late for work. Pain, nausea, procedure prep, achy joints, fevers, fatigue, rashes, and other symptoms of chronic illnesses can all add up to a less-than-great day.

When I was first diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis, I never thought that my illness would amount to life lessons. How could something that caused me so much pain, frustration, and uncertainty teach me anything?

Chris Walker is a fitness buff, family man, and Crohn's warrior. We wanted to know how he stays healthy and maintains a lifestyle that gives him the ability to feel as good as possible. Check out his answers to our questions.

When I learned I had UC, I truly didn’t have a clue. I took drugs..felt better..then worse, like a roller coast. While I was always a fitness lover, I had backed down due to my UC and bone issues in my hands.

My name is Jessica Frano. I am a personal trainer, NPC competitor and overall fitness enthusiast. I am also a survivor, as I’ve overcome multiple GI issues and lived with a temporary ostomy. I know how prevalent ‘transformation’ stories are in the fitness community. But I rarely think of my own “transformation.” It’s unconventional, and at times it was very painful.

Crohn's Disease

On December 31st, 2017 for the first time in over three years, I went into a swimming pool with my daughter. My feelings were overwhelmed the moment I entered the pool. Like the lottery balls blowing in the vacuum chamber, synchronized emotions burst out as our smiles connected in the splashes.

As the fireworks faded on the first day of 2017, I felt excited and motivated. “This would be the year,” I remember telling my husband, “that I’ll have my strongest body yet.” As an active woman, a busy mom, and a person with Crohn’s disease, it was important to me that I do everything in my power to stay on top of my health.

Ulcerative colitis

Kristen is an incredibly strong UC warrior who has suffered more challenges than she has success. But she manages to keep a positive attitude and bright outlook on life. Read her story to learn more about how amazing she is!

I was diagnosed with ulcerative proctitis – a form of colitis, just a year ago this month. When I first got diagnosed it was bittersweet. It felt so good to finally put a name on the illness causing me so much fatigue and pain, but I remember being terrified.

Granted my surgery was a success, things didn’t go as planned while I was recovering in the hospital. About a week went by, I was finally eating regular foods and feeling great. It wasn’t until late one night I got up to use the bathroom and I lost all vision and immediately contacted the nurse who proceeded to lay me down and take my vitals, which happened to be very poor and I was rushed the Intensive Care Unit.

rare gi conditions

Pity, Empathy, Sympathy, Sorry, Warrior, Suffering, Sadness, Fear, and Death. These are just some of the words that are often associated with having a chronic illness or a high tech medical illness. Hey, my name is Roy George and I’m here to tell my story about surviving and thriving with a medical illness.

All my life I have struggled to know how to dress! I know it sounds funny but I always felt I didn’t quite have that fashion ‘sense’ that some of my friends in school or university naturally had.

However it has taken a rare illness (Pure Autonomic Failure), 8 years of catheters, an ileostomy, many hospital admissions and now a urostomy for me to not only dress well but want to look good and on trend!!

I began to see signs of Crohn's in 2007. I was losing weight without trying and had abdominal pain. I attributed this to poor diet.

Then the day after my 25th birthday I began to vomit with blood in it, and the abdominal pain was severe. I went to my primary care Dr and she said I had too much to drink on my birthday. I spent 4 days in bed in severe pain, still vomiting blood. I had my boyfriend Rob take me to the ER. They gave me a GI cocktail, ran a CT and did an abdominal X-Ray, they said everything was fine, I was sent home told to drink Maalox and take Tylenol.

Dec 11, 2017

Nutrition

I was always fatigued, sometimes, listless. I was anemic. I had low albumin, which meant that my lower extremities/ankles would get swollen and I was horrified and embarrassed. I had intermittent pain which became severe during my flare ups. I didn’t want to socialize and became somewhat withdrawn. I stopped dating and avoided serious relationships. I lost my sense of self.